


The Fifth Stage

by ImInTheSoupStore



Category: RWBY
Genre: AU, Bad Luck, Consensual Mind Control, M/M, Mind Break, Qrow Joins Salem, Spoilers
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-01-29
Updated: 2020-01-29
Packaged: 2021-02-27 20:19:53
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death
Chapters: 1
Words: 882
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22469275
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ImInTheSoupStore/pseuds/ImInTheSoupStore
Summary: Salem finds Qrow mourning in the snow and takes him under her wing.
Relationships: Qrow Branwen/Clover Ebi
Comments: 6
Kudos: 30





	The Fifth Stage

A horrific scream had pierced the night hours ago, but the peak of his negativity could still be felt just as intensely.  
Qrow was kneeling above Clover's body, his thoughts running in circles in his head. There were just so many of them and it hurt to think but Qrow couldn't stop.  
He would surely collapse if he moved a muscle, all his might was directed towards keeping the hateful engine inside his head going.  
The Grimm were starting to swarm the area as Salem's forces slowly approached, but none came close to him, whether it was because they were afraid of the depths of his sorrow, or because their queen had already noticed the mourning bird man.  
The answer came almost immediately, because on the forefront, there she was, standing imposingly on the back of a living flying stage made of gore.  
Salem's voice resounded throughout the area without her mouth actually opening.  
"I can feel your pain. I can see that you are broken. I can fix you." Qrow's thoughts were shattered by Salem's voice inside his head.  
"I don't want to be whole again!" Qrow cried faintly. "I just want to make _him_ suffer."  
The black queen knew who he meant with this. She reached our both her hands in a comforting motion towards the broken man, her face beaming with a joy so selfish that one might mistake it for love.

"Then we're on the same side."

The mechanical door opens with an uncanny force and a black smoke flows out the sides, Qrow standing in the middle. He seemed hollow, unconscious and remotely controlled. And there was Salem with her arms around his shoulders, quietly whispering words of assurance into his ear.  
She turned around to let her soulless red eyes pierce Ironwood's soul.  
"James." she greeted. "I expected many things of you. I knew you were stubborn. I knew you were arrogant. But I did not think you were stupid enough to believe that you could run from me..."  
The general was frozen in shock and fear.  
"Uncle Qrow?" Ruby managed to ask. He did not avert his gaze to her.  
"Give me the relics now before you force my hand, general." she quietly demanded. James as silent.  
"I see." she then said. "Then I will introduce myself to the people. Make up your mind in the meantime."  
She looked at Qrow. "My child, would you take care of this for me please?"  
"Please don't leave me alone." Qrow asked on the verge of tears.  
"I will always be there, Qrow. We can leave once we're done." Salem said in an uncharacteristically tender voice before she dissolved into smoke.  
Qrow made two shaky steps forward with the same blank expression. Ironwood pulled his gun and pointed at him in hopes of seeing some kind of reaction, but Qrow was like in a trance.  
He stopped walking and just stood there and nothing happened for a while. The windows started to crack. The ceiling cracked and partially fell down. Explosions could be heard outside while Ruby started to get cramps throughout her body and collapsed on the ground in pain.  
James tried to move, but the metal in his body was rusting and unmovable, his gun fell apart in his hand and he was too shocked to think about his next move. _This is what Salem wanted._  
"UNCLE QROW! STOP THIS, SALEM DOESN'T CARE ABOUT YOU!" Ruby screamed with tears in her eyes, her face stained with the dust beneath her.  
"I don't care." He simply said. "Salem is the only person I can't harm. I can be at ease around Salem. I love Salem."  
Finally Ironwood warned "Ruby, that's not your uncle anymore! Forget about him!"  
"GOD FUCKING DAMMIT!" Ruby moved through her pain and was clearly not intending on talking anymore.  
She took the blade out of her scythe and charged at the man in front of her who didn't seem to notice.

`Fate is willing me to be a monster`  
`Blame's on me in every other way`  
`Since my soul wins all battles against me`  
`Why not act on the reason I'm maaaAAAADE?!`  
(abprupt silence)  
(tempo quadruples, church choir in the background, sounds like a shouting prayer)  
`I want to be free from all empathy`  
`'cause I'm ashamed`  
`'cause I'm in pain`  
`'cause I'm all ventured nothing gained`  
`Salem, I'm just so sick of flying`  
`Don't want to walk while they crawl`  
`So I'm throwing myself to the ground,`  
`At least everyone suffers nooOOOOWWWW!!`  
`CAWW! CAWW! CAWW! CAWW!`  
(crowd screaming in agony)  
`CAWW! CAWW! CAWW! CAWW!`  
(crowd screaming in agony)

Qrow did absolutely nothing, but Ruby could not for the life of her land a hit on him.  
Falling debris, her feet slipping, her body cramping, everything seemed to get in her way of stopping the madness.  
But just as his aura ran out, she managed to actually extend her hand far enough.  
The blade pierced his chest and the blood immediately flowed out in a pulsing motion. Bubbles formed around the blade and that's when it became clear that Ruby had cut open her uncle's lungs.  
Before he fell unconscious, he simply muttered "Thank you." and leaned forward so the blade could be lodged further inside of him when he fell over.


End file.
